Lea County tries a different formula for rural success.
Small towns, big change
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Rural economies get high on legal cannabis
For some small Colorado communities, recreational marijuana is generating much-needed revenue.
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For fossil fuel-reliant towns, a solar alternative grows
A rural solar movement is growing, which focuses on local resilience.
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How a rural town recovered after mining’s death
The disappearance of mining has hit many towns hard. But Raton, New Mexico is getting back on its feet.
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A rural school shrinks—but grows its digital toolkit
How educators brought internet access to New Mexican youth.
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When truancy laws don’t work
A New Mexico principal ponders a tougher approach to keep frequently absent students in school.
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West Obsessed: The fate of rural food and farms
The staff of High Country News tackles tough questions about small-town agriculture.
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How independent libraries are transforming some New Mexico towns
In Rio Arriba County, a community fix for a book deficit.
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Digitally disconnected
How rural students struggle to find internet access, and what one small college is doing about it.
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How one tiny high school hacked Advanced Placement classes
Paonia High brings college-level coursework to rural students by partnering with its neighbors.
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A helping hand for migrant students
In the San Luis Valley, migrant workers build community around student success.
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Native schools move forward by looking to the past
How a New Mexico network is building a new generation of native schools.
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Big steps for small schools
In the battle to train the next generation of rural Western leaders, schools are on the frontlines.
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West Obsessed: How to fix a broken rural health care system
The staff of High Country News discuss the solutions small towns are trying to patch up their healthcare.
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How do you beat hunger and food waste? Try compost
Reunity turns restaurant scraps into soil — and connects Santa Fe with rural farms in the process.
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New Mexican farmers struggle to stay on the land
Can a tax break keep New Mexico’s struggling farmers from selling out?
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Northern New Mexico’s fight against food insecurity
In the region’s most impoverished rural areas, food pantries fill gaps of grocery stores.
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How to feed the masses in small-town America
New business models bring food to towns too small for big box stores.
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Is farming a public service?
To build a new generation of farmers, one nonprofit wants states to forgive student loans.
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Is there a way to revive drought-stricken soil?
In Colorado, potato-farming brothers are saving water by using cover crops innovatively.